Hair clip



Jan. 7, 1958 J. P. ROSE 2,818,869

HAIR CLIP Filed Dec. 9, 1955 v 3/ 3 1 30 y Y f /g E1 IN V EN TOR.

JAMES 1 2 055 ATTORN/E Y United States Patent HAIR CLIP James P. Rose, Atlanta, Ga. Application December 9 1955, Serial No. 552,031 12 Claims. (Cl. 132-32) avoiding damage by breakage or mutilation of the hair 1 nor accommodating variations in individual hair thickness or the mass of hair to be retained. Prior art devices further provided but a single closure or securement position for one clip element with respect to another and hence there was a tendency to either overpack or crowd hair between the elements or the hair would be too loosely engaged and the clip readily became displaced. Where suchproblems were to be solved by prior devices, such attempts were as a rule complicated by the use of delicate and multiple part constructions rendering the devices neither simple nor well designed to meet the demands of economic manufacture.

It istherefore among theobjects of the present invention to provide a novel and improved hair retainer of the type defined which will be efiicient in construction and operation, readily manufactured at small cost and of such design as to insure a long life of usefulness.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a retainer forsecuring hair at multiple points and in which the individual hair engaging elements are yieldable so as to insure adequate retaining pressure but avoiding damage to the hair by excessive or unyielding pressure. A further object of the invention istc provide for the inter-engagement of a pair of cooperative hair retaining elements of a clip in selective manner so as to accommodate the clip to varying thicknesses of hair.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: z I j I Fig. 1 is aside elevation, partly broken away, showing one form of the invention with the'clip in open position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig.1.

lected as representative may be generally characterized as including a base and a cover element hingedly secured together and interengageable by a clasp of such design as to permit a plurality of related positions and hence a variably secured spacing when the device is closed. The base element of each form of the invention here presented is provided with yieldable and normally spaced hair engaging fingers arranged as parallel pairs, while the top or cover element is formed with finger engaging surfaces arranged as angularly related pairs. The engaging surfaces, by virtue of their angularity, act as cams to urge the upper ends of the fingers toward each other to secure the hair therebetween.

Referring now to that structure disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, the base element of the clip is generally indicated by the numeral 10 and comprises an upstanding narrow strip, rectangular in cross section, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3, and as such conveniently formed of plastic or some equivalent light durable and hygienic material. In this form of the invention the clip fingers which directly engage the hair are shown as formed by spaced and independently mounted elements each comprising pairs of upstanding circlets 11 and 12 from a single twice circled length of resilient wire. The end material 13 of each pair of finger circles 11 and 12 are adapted to secure the wire to the base 10 bypassing through the material of the base and being turneddown as indicated.

As shown in Fig. l, the normal relation of the circles of each pair when in repose is at angled divergence one with respect to one another. The resiliency of the wire forming the circled fingers, however, is such that they may be readily urged toward each other to grasp and secure the hair therebetween. For so urging the finger circles together and retaining them in hair holding position there is provided the top or cover element 15 of the clip. As best seen in Fig. 2, the top 15 is of generally inverted U-shaped construction. As may be noted from the inspection of Fig. 2 taken with Fig. 3, the cross section of the body of the cover element is such as to receive the circle fingers therein. Depending from the under surface of the top of the cover. 15 are a plurality of downwardly inclined finger engaging V-shaped camming surfaces 16, one pair of such surfaces being provided between each adjacent pair of finger circles. By this constructionit will be seen that as the cover is moved downward-toward Fig. 3'is. a vertical cross-section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. '1 showing the clip in closed position. v

Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the base element, partly broken away, of a modified form ofthe invention.

Fig. 6 is a detail end elevation of one of the clip fingers of that form of the invention presented in Fig. 5.

While the elements and structures by which the present invention may be carried out are subject to a wide variety of forms and arrangements, the exemplification here sethe base element, the apex 17 of each V-shaped member will move into the space 18 between each pair of finger units. Such movement will of course .cam the spread circles together to secure the hair therebetween.

The base and cover elements 10 and 15 respectively are hingedly joined at one end by a pintle 20 extending through the base and engaging receiving apertures of depending hinge ears 21 of the sides of the cover.v -While this hinge arrangement permits free pivotal movement between the parts a selective retention of the parts in various closed positions is provided by a downwardly extending spring detent 22 mounted at the outer end of the cover. The detent 22 is formed as a return bent spring, the outer leg 23 of which is provided with teeth or serrations 24 to receive selectively a stop 25 extendinginwardly of the aperture 26 through which'the detent passes as the cover is closed over the base. By this'arrangernent it will be noted that the cover may be secured in varying degrees of closure with respect to the base; It is also to be noted that since the entry of the -V-surfaces between the pairs of finger circles is the factor: determining the movement of such circles together, and hence the pressure applied to the hair disposed therebetween, the degree of closure determines this pressure.

In that form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the circle fingers are substituted by flat leaves 30 and 31 3 arranged in normally diverging pairs mounted in a base 32. As shown in Fig. 6 the upper ends of the leaves may be encased in tip covers 33 of rubber or like protective material. With respect to such covering, the upper protruding and hair engaging ends of the circle fingers may be similarly protected. If desired the flat leaves 30 and 31 may be perforated to provide apertures the edges of which will enhance the frictional grip of the leaves with the hair. While not here shown, the base 32 is designed for cooperation with a cover such as 15 by which the leaves are brought together for hair engagement as the cover is applied and its camming surfaces enter between the leaves.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a novel and simple clip structure having a minimum number of parts and thus is of improved simplicity of operation and manufacture. It will be noted that the pressure of the fingers against hair disposed therebetween is firm yet yielding so as to insure against hair damage. It will also be noted that the securement between base and cover is adjustable so as to accommodate hair of different texture or amount placed between the fingers before the cover is closed. In considering the invention, it is to be understood that the present showing is only illustrative and that in practice numerous changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character set forth, a base, a plurality of pairs of resilient normally diverging hair engaging fingers on the base, and means for moving said fingers of each pair toward each other to engage hair therebetween.

2. In a device of the character set forth, a base, a plurality of pairs of resilient normally diverging hair engaging fingers on the base, and means for moving said fingers of each pair toward each other to engage hair therebetween, said means comprising a cover member.

3. In a device of the character set forth, a base, a plurality of pairs of resilient normally diverging hair engaging fingers on said base, and means for moving said fingers toward each other to engage hair therebetween, said means comprising a cover member including camming surfaces engageable on the outer surfaces of said fingers to cam those of each pair together.

. 4. In a device of the character set forth, a base, a plurality of pairs of resilient normally diverging hair engaging fingers on said base, means for moving said fingers toward each other to engage hair therebetween, said means comprising a cover member including camming surfaces engageable on the outer surfaces of said fingers to cam those of each pair together, and a pivotal connection between said base and said cover member.

5. In a device of the character set forth, a base, a plurality of pairs of resilient normally diverging hair engaging fingers on said base, means for moving said fingers toward each other to engage hair therebetween, said means comprising a cover member including camming surfaces engageable on the outer surfaces of said fingers to cam those of each pair together, and a pivotal connection between said base and cover, together with means for selectively retaining said base and cover in one of a plurality of closed positions.

6. In a hair retaining clip, a base and a plurality of pairs of hair retaining fingers mounted on said base, each pair comprising two divergent circles of spring wire, and each being formed from a single length of wire, the ends of which are extended through the base, and a cover pivotally mounted on the base adapted when closed to house said circles.

7. In a hair retaining clip, a base and a plurality of pairs of hair retaining fingers mounted on said base, each comprising a divergent pair of circles of spring Wire, and each being formed from a single length of wire, the ends of which are extended through the base, and a cover pivotally mounted on the base adapted when closed to house said circles and including camming surfaces movable between said circles to resiliently move those of each pair toward one another.

8. A hair retaining clip including a base and a plural ity of pairs of leaves, each pair comprising leaves having normally relatively diverging ends, said leaves being disposed to form a row secured to said base, and means for drawing the normally diverging ends of the leaves of each pair together, said means comprising camming surfaces engageable with the outer facesof the leaves of each pair.

9. A hair retaining clip including a base and a plurality ofpairs of leaves, each pair comprising leaves having normally relatively diverging ends, said leaves being disposed to form a row secured to said base, and means for drawing the normally diverging ends of the leaves of each pair together, said means comprising camming surfaces formed by adjacent V recesses and engageable with the outer faces of the leaves of each pair.

10. A hair retaining clip including a base and a plurality of pairs of leaves, each pair comprising leaves having normally relatively diverging ends, said leaves being disposed to form a row secured to said base, and means for drawing the normally diverging ends of the leaves of each pair together, said means comprising camming surfaces engageable with the outer faces of the leaves of each pair, said camming surfaces being formed by adjacent V recesses in a cover member hingedly secured to said base.

11. A hair retaining clip including a rigid body, a plurality of pairs of normally diverging circlets of resilient hair engaging material secured to said body, the secured portions of said circlets being disposed below the surface of said body and emerging from thesides thereof whereby hair engaged between said circlets may rest upon said surface above the point of engagement of said circlets, each pair of circlets being formed by a single continuous strand of resilient material.

12. A hair retaining clip including a rigid body, a plurality of pairs of normally diverging circlets of resilient hair engaging material secured to said body, the secured portions of said circlets being disposed below the surface of said body and emerging from the sides, thereof whereby hair' engaged between said circlets may rest upon said surface above the point of engagement of said circlets, each pair of circlets being formed by a single continuous strand of resilient material, the ends of which extend through the side walls of the body, and a cover for said body pivotally secured thereto including means for engaging the circlets to flex them from divergent position, said means including V- shaped surfaces registrable with each pair of circlets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,068,195

' France Feb. 21, 1927 

